Originally posted by: spittledip
no one has ADD
lol okay. I deal with it everyday and cannot get a prescription because I'd likely be kicked out of the Army.
true ADD/ADHD (environmental stressors can induce chronic ADD-like symptoms, but are not a neurological disorder like ADD/ADHD) is a result of an imbalance of neurotransmitters. Typically, it's low levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, iirc. It may be a few others, or different ones entirely, except I know for sure norepinephrine (aka noradrenaline) is involved. The CNS prescription stimulants that are used to treat ADD/ADHD directly effect those neurotransmitter levels.
Anyone that actually studies the CNS and the pharmaceuticals that interact with it can verify this. Those neurotransmitters are directly involved in behavior and alertness, and all CNS stimulants (caffeine is one, but much weaker and doesn't effect the levels as much) will help, thus why people with ADD/ADHD will have positive alertness results from most ADD/ADHD meds IF they have a true case of the neurological disorder. If it's something else creating the same symptoms, they will not receive help from the same meds.
This is why I use ephedrine on a daily basis (25mg once daily, morning). It's a CNS stimulant, stronger and more effective than caffeine, without the negatives of caffeine. I have improved alertness and focus (it's pretty much guaranteed ephedrine is not as effective as the amphetamine prescription meds), but am not generally twitchy or cloudy like I can get on caffeine (I also abused caffeine, so this does not help).
ADD sucks, big time. Really messes with school and life in more ways than you can likely imagine. It's way more than an inability to focus.
Try listening to your best friends telling you a story, and they reach the end and you realize you didn't take in pretty much any of it, even though you felt like you were paying attention to them.
whats funny is I think that is true for people even when they have the neurological disorder.
I've been under extreme stress (papers, finals, life, etc) and been able to focus on the assignment. Your body releases certain chemicals under stress, and I wonder if they are the same ones linked to attention and focus. I'd imagine they would be, so your body has the strength to get through. Adrenaline and noradrenaline are similar, I just cannot remember how. Adrenaline is released in pretty much any situation your body is stressed.